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Berichten in November 2010

The B90, codenamed C303, will be the top model of FAW’s Besturn brand, it is based on the new Mazda 6 and will arrive in 2011. FAW has a joint venture with Mazda, FAW-Mazda, they make the new 6, the old 6, the 5 mpv an the 8 mpv. Besturn now sells the B50 and B70 and is working on the entry-level B30 that is based on the very old Volkswagen Jetta. First pics of the interior:

Earlier we heard the new Roewe 750 would be based on the Buick Regal from SAIC-GM. New info learns that Roewe might use GM’s Epsilon-II platform on which the Regal is based. But the bigger Buick LaCrosse is also based on Epsilon-II and it seems that Roewe wants that one. At least, according to these renderings that turned up on the internet.

Alfa Rome has applied for patent for the Giulietta for the Chinese market. The pretty hatch will arrive in China soon, likely as an import first and later locally produced at Fiat’s new joint venture with Guangzhou Auto. The design will certainly attract Chinese buyers so if the price ain’t too high the Giulietta could be a winner.

The C30, codenames BC301Z, is a new compact mpv from Beijing Auto. its shape is inspired by the Merc B-class. Beijing Auto and Mercedes Benz have a joint venture, called Beijing-Benz, which makes the C and E-class. Not sure if Benz helped a bit with this C30, and it they didn’t, whether they like it… The C30 will debut at the Guangzhou Auto Show in December with Mitsubishi-sourced 1.3 and 1.5 4-cilinders, price will start around 50.000 yuan and end around 70.000.

Li Shifu, owner of Geely and Volvo, wants the Swedish brand to attack the Germans with bigger cars and bigger engines. Jacoby, Volvo’s new CEO, wants to have noting of it. He wants to focus on vague ‘unique’ Scandinavian values and make a push in the US, not in China.

It is the second time Jacoby speaks in public about how he doesn’t like Geely’s plans for Volvo. Li Shifu did not like it the first time, at all. This might be very well the last time, so good bye to Jacoby? We’ll see the following days…

From AutoCar: Existing Volvo management disagrees with new owners Geely over the direction the company should be taking.

SAIC-GM launched the new Buick GL8 in Shanghai. The launch came with a little party, Buick brought two GL8’s, both in a very boring color. Engines: 2.4 L4 and 3.0 V6. Price starts at 288.000 yuan and ends at 388.000. More pics below…

South Korean auto maker Hyundai Motor on Sunday started building its third China plant in Beijing, intended to meet rising demand after the firm’s two existing Beijing plants exceeded their production capacity this year.

The plant, with an investment of 6.5 billion yuan (975 million U.S. dollars), is designed to have an annual capacity of 400,000 passenger cars, according to a statement from Beijing Hyundai Motor Co., a joint venture between Beijing Automotive Holdings and Hyundai Motor. The factory in Shunyi, eastern Beijing, would increase Hyundai’s production capacity in China to 1 million units, said the statement.

The MG3 debuted at the MG Zero Concept at the Beijing Auto Show in April. The MG3 is now ready and the production car will debut at the Guangzhou Auto Show starting at December 21. MG3’s in colors were seen at a gas station, for road testing for sure, but more likely to generate some free pre-publicity on websites like this blog. Well, job done MG, you got it! The MG3 will get 1.3 and 1.5 4-cilinder engines, price will start around 70.000 yuan.

The move, more aggressive than a previously announced scheme, will bring the number of Ford dealers in China to 340 by the end of the year, up from the original target of 310, Joe Hinrichs, president of Ford’s Asia and Africa operations, told Reuters in a telephone interview.

Hinrichs, also chairman and CEO for Ford’s China operations, expected the Detroit autommaker to report record sales in China this year, but he did not elaborate.